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The Marine Corps is actively translating its Force Design strategy from a broad modernization initiative into daily operational reality. At the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA), Col. Craig Clarkson is focused heavily on the C5I space—command, control, cyber, communications, computers, and intelligence. "We've been working primarily in our space, to separate hardware from software, moving towards smaller form factor systems to enable Marines at the edge," Clarkson explains. According to Col. Kevin Stepp, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-6 for I MEF, the Force Design implementation phase is deeply focused on the "inextricable" link between command and control (C2) and fires. Stepp notes he spends more time working with fires teams than any other staff section.
A major shift in this implementation is a tighter partnership between end-users and capability developers. Rather than relying on a "Big Bang solution five years after the program office got the requirement," the Marine Corps is iterating in real-time. Furthermore, they have changed how they validate new technology. "No longer are we doing the exquisite installation of c2, systems for a temporal exercise," Stepp says. Instead, they are running continuous, 24/7 operations centers, such as one on Camp Pendleton, to keep systems online, mature the technology, and refine staff processes.
This accelerated acquisition model is driven by Project Dynamis. Project Dynamis intentionally partners end-users directly with capability developers, acquisition professionals, and industry engineers. It also serves to organize the Marine Corps' contributions to the broader Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) effort, aligning with Army Project Convergence, Air Force ABMS, and Navy Project Overmatch.
During continuous, time-compressed events known as "Dynamis serials," these collaborative teams iterate rapidly. Col. Stepp points to Dynamis Serial 003 at Fort Carson with the Army's 4th Infantry Division as a prime example. "We're taking the hardware and software we have now, we're integrating and we're closing technical gaps," Stepp notes. By moving data across multiple enclaves and closing gaps between C2 and fire systems, the Marine Corps ensures they deliver the right capability at the right time, making it easier for operators to "connect all the sensors with all the shooters and make decisions at machine speed".